Arhitectura peisagera: Informatii, Critica si Idei.

Why do we need landscape architecture?

“Why Africa needs Landscape architecture?” I faced this question yesterday in an informal discussion and as I let my colleague Cor to answer first, I picked up on his well said argument. Cor noted that Africa doesn’t need landscape architecture outside the cities. It is beautiful and productive through its mostly harmless indigenous activities. But in cities, landscape architecture is a matter of health, safety, and comfort, more than beautification. Maybe we both have Wageningen thinking but no matter what continent, cities are indeed the reason for needing landscape architecture and also the place where it is needed most.

Art installation in Hong Kong shows visitors the waterfront beyond the mist. The greenhouse gas emissions in the city contribute to making the landscape invisible.

As cities grow and develop, they attract more people that migrate with hopes for jobs and good urban service. In planning developing cities, the provision of housing and infrastructure may produce negative effects in human health. Heat waves, traffic jams, inadequately serviced housing and long distances between interest points are only a few of the results of improper planning. A proper planning should account integration of techniques for not only reducing the emission of pollutants but also to support capturing the greenhouse gas emissions and improve microclimate. And that`s not all. Landscape architecture`s increasing role in climate change adaptation makes it indispensable in prevention and recovery from climate induced events such as landslides and floods. Landscape architecture will prevent flooding, facilitate water infiltration in the ground, improve the microclimate, contribute to absorption of greenhouse gas emissions, prevent land sliding, windstorms, heat waves, sandstorms, drain exceed / flashflood water, protect and enhance local ecosystems providing climate adaptation and recovery techniques (with emphasis on ecosystem services that can further protect and feed the people).

Dense building leaves no space for the efficiency and coverage of public transport. Medellin (Colombia) implemented an innovative urban mobility solution, checking extra points for the bird-eye views.

The changing weather patterns and changing intensity and frequency of climate induced events give us no time to reach help, what about proper planning instead? I sometimes lay living in the obviousness of the importance of landscape architecture in urban development, and then I find reverse examples, and I realize it is still a niche. Until the next flood when we panic, empathize and suffer, while recovery funds will go again in fast re-purchase of lost assets, with no interest left for working with nature for getting less affected next time..

Flooding in Haiti:We will never be ready, if we never learn.

As another humanitarian colleague was saying, the result of our work is that we are not affected. (El Nino, we are waiting all here in cities, unprepared.)

See below more examples of landscape architecture`s role in climate change adaptation and disaster recovery.

The reason why I think Africa needs landscape architecture is that I find difficult giving such examples from this continent. Maybe we need more action, but that comes from more interest, and that comes from more funds properly directed towards urgent and meaningful work.

From deep within the development world,

Oana

Sorsogon, Philippines:Following the UN-Habitat`s Cities and Climate Change Initiative`s vulnerability assessment tool, the city established a core team and technical working group for Climate Change, supporting the city to develop its climate change adaptation strategy by looking at the urban development trends, migration of population, provision of services but also at geographical and weather conditions. The vulnerability assessment tools support understanding the context and risk to climate impacts. Sorsogon, as a coastal city, is heavily vulnerable in particular due to rising sea level and changing weather patterns. This is affecting not only the spatial planning but all subsidence linkages including small scale economic activities, transport and food production. Contextual analysis – we call it in landscape architecture

London, UK: Fluctuating water conditions require new options for the water absorption such as vertical walls, or wetlands to be exposed to low water levels, as alternative to incapacitated canals and sewage systems. London`s Thames Gateway project targets particularly the areas with urban poor, creating a park network along the water front to provide a regional recreational and ecological network, capable of significantly reducing the impact of flood and protecting over 1 million housing units.

Tasinge Square, Copenhagen, Denmark – is an urban public space, a park but also a water retention basin designed to hold back the storm water. It is part of Copenhagen`s climate adaptation plan to counter flooding.